Morning Rituals
by Commander Phoenix
Summary: Originally published on 21 July 2010 as part of a challenge to write an Ordinary Day in the lives of our duo, Beverly and Jean-Luc. Caution: Cotton Candy Baby-Fic follows. As always, I own nothing, TPTB owns everything, and I'm just out joyriding.
1. Part 1

He hoped it never felt ordinary. Or boring for that matter. He had wanted this too much for too long. Perhaps that's why he worried- he feared that it wouldn't last some how, or he'd find out he was in the Nexus again, or some equally abhorrent notion.

Hearing his son begin to fuss, he disentangled himself from the combination that was his wife Beverly and the bed sheets. He took the portable monitoring unit, and walked around the corner into the baby's room.

His heart immediately soared. Upon making eye contact, his son quieted down, having achieved his goal. He wanted to be picked up, changed, fed and played with before going to the day care facility. It had become something of a ritual. It was too precious to be a routine.

Jean-Luc wondered when he became accustomed to changing diapers. Perhaps it was sheer determinism, having heard Beverly question his ability to deal with it shortly before his son's conception. It certainly had it's moments of unpleasantness, but if he held his breathe, and worked quickly, it was manageable.

Food was becoming more interesting too. His son had apparently gotten his mother's appetite. Cereal was a staple of breakfast, and now they were adding more. The peaches were a favorite, as were pears. Bananas were acceptable. The plums had been a complete disaster. He'd also tried bits of croissant and other pastry along the way, and anything he'd been able to sneak by Beverly and feed their child.

He'd started out dressing their son, then feeding. It worked for three days, which Beverly seemed to think was above average. Now he'd learned to feed first, then dress, to make things go more smoothly and avoid the dressing part again.

Jean-Luc had gotten better at the dressing part, even though the baby squirmed more with each passing day, with one exception- socks. The little things were so difficult to get on, yet apparently quite easy to get back off again. Most days he didn't bother, but simply set them with the bag for day care by the door. Beverly seemed to have a knack for it that he lacked, and frustratingly enough, took a great deal of pleasure in watching him struggle with it.

Usually, somewhere in the process of things, Beverly would appear, fully dressed and smiling. She'd coo and play for a few minutes, then take over where he left off long enough for him to finish getting ready for duty.

The three would play together until the alarm went off, reminding them of duty. (That had come to pass after Mr. Worf had come to check on them one morning after he hadn't arrived timely, and had somehow missed being called.) Then Beverly's fingers would quickly slide the socks on, just before they each kissed each other goodbye, waved, and went their separate ways...

Yes, morning ritual was definitely better than morning routine. It was exceptional. Amazing. Something to cherish in his heart. Always.


	2. Part 2

Beverly usually awoke after Jean-Luc and the baby. She knew Jean-Luc got up as soon as the baby got the slightest bit fussy. She hadn't decided if he was doing so because he didn't like hearing the baby fuss, or if it was so he could spend time with him. Maybe it was both.

Not that their son was anything but a good baby. He'd slept through the night at seven weeks, and had only had a touch of colic, barely noticeable at all. He had a mellow personality, which surprised her.

Jean-Luc's enthusiasm, once he had been convinced that a child was something they could have without cursing them somehow, was limitless. She loved that her husband and child had bonded so well. She'd been worried at first, since she was breastfeeding the baby, and thus spending more time with him, but Jean-Luc took every possible opportunity to be with his child. He'd been hands-on from the start, and never failed to amaze her with his natural skill at parenting, or his ideas of what to try feeding him next. She knew how fortunate she was, to have a husband who was as involved with their child as he.

She pulled herself out of bed to peek around the corner toward their living area.

Her favorite part of the morning was watching Jean-Luc and the baby interact at breakfast when Jean-Luc's back was turned so he didn't know she was there. The two played, making faces and funny sounds, tickling and giggling between bites. It was one of those moments that she etched into mind and heart so she would never forget.

Beverly knew that Jean-Luc wouldn't leave their child alone for a heartbeat. She'd learned to make sure she was ready for duty before joining them, so Jean-Luc would have no excuses to get himself ready.

Beverly usually joined the two somewhere between feeding and dressing the baby. Jean-Luc did a good job; far better than she had initially expected. Even when the baby squirmed, he just squirmed right along, getting the clothes on along the way.

His determination to get socks on their child was hard not to laugh at. For some reason, no matter what he tried, he couldn't get the heel of the little socks over the heel of the baby's foot. It really didn't matter; the little guy usually took them off to suck on his toes anyway. Most days, she found the socks sitting neatly on top of the bag for the day care.

They'd play with the baby and talk to each other for a few minutes before it was time to go their separate ways for the day. She'd put the baby's socks on, for what good it did, and then Jean-Luc would say his goodbyes. She'd take him to day care and say her own goodbyes before going to Sickbay.

Mornings had never been her favorite time of day, but these days, she had two reasons to enjoy them.


End file.
